Her Story
About Sunshine
Sunshine Gray, MSN-Ed, RN, OCN, is a radiation oncology nurse educator, oncology nursing leader, and author with more than 20 years of experience advancing cancer care, nursing education, and clinical excellence. She serves as a Clinical Nurse Educator at Fred Hutch Cancer Center, where she leads radiation oncology education across multiple clinic sites, overseeing nurse onboarding, orientation, competency development, and specialty training while continuing to maintain an active clinical practice. Her career began in pediatric bone marrow transplant nursing before expanding into adult oncology, radiation oncology, and clinical research, giving her broad expertise across the continuum of cancer care.
Driven by a passion for education and global health, Sunshine earned her Master of Science in Nursing Education and has become a recognized subject matter expert in radiation oncology nursing. She serves as Lead Nurse Educator for Rayos Contra Cancer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding radiation oncology education in low- and middle-income countries, where she has helped develop and deliver curriculum reaching hundreds of nurses across Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. She also contributes to the Oncology Nursing Society as a radiation oncology content expert, is authoring a chapter for the organization's forthcoming Radiation Oncology Nursing textbook, and has helped develop educational content supporting the specialty's emerging certification program.
Throughout her career, Sunshine has remained committed to improving patient outcomes through education, mentorship, and evidence-based practice while advocating for equitable access to quality cancer care worldwide. Her leadership and contributions have earned recognition through numerous professional honors, including the Herald and John Steinberg Memorial Nursing Award, the CARES Award, the STAR Award, the Outstanding Patient Educator Golden Eddie Award, and leadership recognition from the National Society of Leadership and Success. An active member of several national and international professional organizations, she is passionate about oncology nursing, social justice, and expanding educational opportunities for underserved communities, with plans to pursue doctoral studies and continue shaping the future of oncology nursing on a global scale.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Sunshine
01What do you attribute your success to?
I'm very self-motivated. I need to have a big picture. I work really well under pressure, and I'm always looking for the next way to help, whether it's to help the community, or help patients, or help my family. I'm all about improving the lives of others.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Be resourceful. Make relationships with people before you need those relationships and maintain those relationships, because it helps you build a community of support and resources, and when you don't know the answers, then you know where to go for them.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find a nurse mentor to help you fully understand what being a nurse really is. With the changed landscape of healthcare, the nursing role is much different than the skills learned in nursing programs. It is incredibly important to understand the commitment before pursuing this career. We need nurses urgently in the US, but we also need nurses to be prepared for the incredible challenges our profession faces.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
We need more nursing professors and clinical educators to teach our future nurses; the growing nursing shortage was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We need more nurses to provide frontline care. Electronic health records and AI are incredibly impactful to nursing care. Technology proficiency is no longer optional; we need tech-savvy nurses to come into the profession with an understanding that the job will always include constant change, and this is guaranteed.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
I love to read, write, and learn. I'm very into gardening, home DIY, art, sewing, dancing, meditating, cooking, and spending time with friends and family. My family is really into music; we play music, listen to it, and love going to shows, especially outdoor shows and festivals.
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